I couldn't let this opportunity pass without making some effort to commemorate the event. Even though Beaufort #5 is still doing its thing in the cave network, in the interest of developing further Beaufort credentials, here comes #6.

Rested 10 minutes. Curds are settling, whey is rising. Even though the cream level is good and high, the level of butterfat that I normally see on the surface of the warm milk is not apparent. I attribute this to the freshness of the milk. Older milk has harder, more solid milkfat that doesn't incorporate as well into the milk. The raw milk had a pulldate of Jan11 and the creamline was Jan19. Jan16 was available on the shelf, but looking back towards the rear of the shelf I found Jan19. Rotating the stock.

Began heating and gently stirring the curds to 110F within 40 minutes.

Added some of the removed whey to a smaller pot and submerged the filled mould. Placed this pot into the large double-boiler kettle which had a warm water bath. Moved the pot within the kettle to the press.

10:00 Pressed with 2.6 psi for 15 minutes.10:15 Flipped, redressed and pressed with 2.6 psi for 15 minutes.10:30 Flipped, redressed and pressed with 2.6 psi for 30 minutes.11:00 Drained whey, flipped, redressed and pressed with 2.6 psi for 15 minutes.12:45PM Flipped, undressed and pressed with 4.9 psi for 15 minutes.1:00 pH 5.30. Out of press, weighed, and into whey-brine for 4 hours.5:00 Flipped cheese in brine.9:00 Removed cheese from whey-brine, dried, weighed and into minicave to air-dry.

Happy Birthday! What a fun way to celebrate/commemorate!Boofer I am trying to figure out what form I want to obtain for makes of 3 or 4 gallons. What form are you using? It seems to have a lot of holes. Have you been pressing naked!?!

Boofer I am trying to figure out what form I want to obtain for makes of 3 or 4 gallons. What form are you using? It seems to have a lot of holes. Have you been pressing naked!?!

You'll see at 12:45PM that I actually undress...my cheese. For those of you into it, I press naked. The holes are so small and numerous that the nubbins aren't as troublesome as in a regular Tomme mould.It's a cheese mould I got from Yoav. Two of them actually. One fits inside the other to press. I've been using it in quite a few 3 gallon makes, but it should hold 4 gallons of curd quite nicely. Yes, there are a lot of tiny drain holes. Very nice. One of my favorite moulds.

I started washing this cheese with PLA & brine four days in. Now, a week later, there is some Geo coming to the rind. The rind used to have a milkfat residue and was a little brine-repellent, but that is diminishing as the Geo sets forth. Good stuff.

Looks great, Boofer! A cheese to you for your cheese massage skills. . You rubbing down with anything? Brine? Scented massage oils?

Thanks, Kathrin.

No, the treatment I have been pursuing with this baby has been strictly rubbing, patting, scratching, and caressing the rind to address any glaring abnormalities. It sits in its minicave and perspires a bit so the temp is around 50F and the RH is around 85%. Matter-of-fact, I need to put a sensor in there with it to monitor it more closely.

I was thinking about the idea of the 12 month affinage and recalling the wonderful texture and flavor I got when I cut one of these hard cheeses earlier than that...like 6 months. I may just stick with that. I don't want this to be a hard & dry cheese. I want a nice sliceable cheese. I made one that did go out to 12 months and I really wasn't happy with the result. I realize my technique may have been at fault with the hard & dry cheese, but going out that long does press the odds. Whether a cheese is sealed (wax, cream coat, or vacuum) or natural will also affect whether the paste dries excessively also. My #4 was cream-coated which helped it to retain wonderful moisture to the paste while still allowing pretty much a natural rind since it was able to breathe a bit. Nice. Can you tell I'm hooked on cream coating (for some hard cheeses)? Thanks for the nudge, Herman.

With that in mind, I will probably open my Beaufort #5 in another month. That will be the sixth month.

You're welcome, Jim! It all sounds good although I think scented, or infused at least, oils have a place in cheese care. I'm really enjoying the Caerphilly that got rubbed with Meyer lemon infused olive oil. It's very yummy. This scented massage oil joke is giving me some ideas now. maybe my next olive oil rub will get some essential oil added. (edible and food grade of course)